Biju Kurian at Nahariya, the northern-most coastal city in Israel.
| Photo Credit: TH
Biju Kurian, the Kerala farmer who went missing in Israel last week, says he had no plans to overstay in the foreign land and wanted to return home at the earliest.
Speaking to The Hindu from Bahrain international airport, while on his way back to Kozhikode, Mr. Kurian claimed that he was voluntarily returning to India and was not forced to leave Israel as he had a visa valid till May 8.
He is expected to reach Kozhikode at 4 a.m. on Monday.
“The Israeli authorities would have deported me to India, had I done something illegal there. It’s not the case and I am returning to India on my own volition,” he said.
The farmer from Kannur said he was unnerved by the media focus on his absence, which forced him to lie low for a few days before deciding to get back home.
Part of farm tour
The farmer, who was part of a 27-member group the Kerala government had taken to Israel as part of an international agriculture exposure programme, had given the authorities a slip in Israel, leaving the State government embarrassed.
“I found my WhatsApp and social media flooded with imaginary stories of my reported devious plans to overstay in Israel to look for greener pastures, which was untrue. As the field visits were over by Thursday, I decided to make use of the remaining two days to visit the holy places and join the group on Sunday to leave for India. However, I was frightened and confused by the false and malicious stories spread against me and the plans went awry,” said Mr. Kurian.
Mr. Kurian said he had stayed at Bethlehem during these days preparing to return to the country.
“I had converted the ₹50,000 I had with me into US Dollars. However, it was not enough to meet the expenses abroad. My family arranged money for the air ticket and other expenses through a friend in Sharjah,” he said.
Mr. Kurian said a group of travellers from Kochi, whom he had met at Bethlehem, had offered help to return to India. “The good Samaritans even offered to purchase air tickets for me. As my family had by then made the arrangements for my return to India, I refused their help,” he said.
‘Cleared emigration’
B. Ashok, Principal Secretary (Agriculture), who led the delegation told The Hindu that the Israeli police had communicated that Mr. Kurian had cleared the emigration procedures and boarded the aircraft. There was no report of him being arrested or deported. His return to India was reported through the Indian embassy, he said.
